That’s All? "The Devil Wears Prada 2" Feels Surprisingly Safe

(the following review is spoiler-free)

Throughout the summer of 2025, it was hard to go more than a few days without seeing some sort of update on the filming of The Devil Wears Prada 2. Principal photography took place in New York City under the codename "Cerulean" much to the dismay of Manhattan commuters but to the delight of fans everywhere. With an extraordinary quick turnaround time, the sequel premiered in American theaters this past week! Yes, The Devil Wears Prada, but this time around...is it a knockoff?

It has been twenty years since Anne Hathaway's Andy Sachs and Meryl Streep's Miranda Priestly have graced the silver screen. The Devil Wears Prada not only scored multiple award nominations but also became one of the top grossing films of 2006. The original holds a special place in my household, being one of my father, Joe's favorite movies, so needless to say expectations were high.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 follows Andy, now a successful journalist who is forced to return to Runway Magazine after her last company went out of business. This time she finds herself doing more substantial work for the company, including celebrity interviews and hard-hitting news. But after the CEO of Runway's parent company dies unexpectedly, the fate of the publication is called into question. In addition to Streep and Hathaway, the film also includes the returns of Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci in some of their best-remembered roles. In addition, new cast members are introduced like B.J. Novak, Lucy Liu, Kenneth Branagh, and Justin Theroux.

The acting throughout the film is pretty solid, but something about this film feels so watered down from the original. The Devil Wears Prada came out in 2006, and unsurprisingly the dominant culture has changed quite a bit. A lot of the humor from the film is now deemed out-of-date or offensive, especially when Anne Hathaway's size 4 character kept getting referred to as the "smart fat girl." As a more average sized woman I never found this offensive because it's clearly to show how ridiculous and unrealistic beauty standards are, but the writers room this time around decided to shape the sequel's humor around what is currently deemed acceptable. While this is understandable, it lead to The Devil Wears Prada 2 feeling watered down and neutered. I wish there were more moments where the writers weren't afraid to make us gasp in disbelief like they did last time. Despite keeping the original director, David Frankel and writer, Aline Brosh McKenna, I couldn't help myself wanting more.

Andy's evolution to a respected journalist in her dream profession feels earned but it greatly changes the dynamic between herself and Miranda that doesn't have quite the same bite as it did when they were a lowly intern and a powerful CEO.

If you went into The Devil Wears Prada 2 for the fashion you came to the right place. There are just as many fabulous out fits to look at as well as cameos from today's style icons like Naomi Campbell, Heidi Klum, Law Roach, and more.

Something fans are sure to remember from the original film 20 years ago is the "Nate Hate" phenomenon where Andy's boyfriend, Nate (played by Adrian Grenier) emerged as one of the most hated characters in fiction. This saw a resurgence in 2017 when publications like Cosmopolitan and Refinery29 reexamined him from the grounded boyfriend to the story's true villain, as opposed to Miranda. Nate Haters will be happy to know that his character has been completely wiped from existence in the sequel. I guess Andy finally opened her eyes. If you can't tell, I was a big fan of this change, Kenneth Branagh makes for a much more enjoyable love interest this time around.

Due to its quick turnaround time from principal photography to release, I would've found it understandable if The Devil Wears Prada 2 felt rushed and poorly-made, but for the most part I was proven wrong. While I don't see myself returning to this film like I often do for the original, it is still a decently fun time at the movies. If there is a third installment, let's hope David Frankel and company take more risks and remember why we fell in love with this story in the first place.

That's all...